The Mayor has to be subject to accountability - Tuffrey

11.31.00am GMT Mon 21st Jan 2008

Leader of the London Assembly Liberal Democrats Mike Tuffrey appeared on the BBC's Politics Show to discuss the recent controversy into the Mayor's handling of LDA funding.

Commenting on the continuing investigation around the Mayor's processes, Mike Tuffrey said:

"We've had one mayor in office for eight years. We warned right at the outset the problems of importing this strong American-style of mayoral government without the checks and balances that you have in America.

"It was absolutely clear that Mayoral advisors are involved in operational decision-making and there are no rules around that. There is no openness, no transparency. We don't know what is going on.

"It is perfectly proper for a Mayor to try and implement his programme in government. But we have to see how that is done. There has to be democracy at work. As Liberal Democrats, that's what we're arguing for. The clue is in the name - freedom, openness, democracy. We need that in London Government.

"There is a whole culture of doing things behind closed doors - of phone calls, of nods and winks. The Mayor has to be subject to accountability and that is at heart, our fundamental point."

END